The central government will soon bring a bill proposing death penalty for the crime of lynching, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said in Yavatmal on Monday. The proposed bill will be on the lines of a legislation seeking capital punishment to those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years, he said.

"Lynching is a barbaric crime and no civilised society can accept it. The Union government will soon bring a bill proposing death penalty for lynching.

"The proposed bill will be on the lines of a legislation seeking death penalty to those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years," the minister told a delegation of the Nathjogi community who called on him.

The minister's remarks came against the backdrop of a spate of incidents of mob violence over cow smuggling and child lifting being reported from various parts of the country.

Five members of Nathjogi community, a Nomadic Tribe (NT), from Solapur district were allegedly lynched by a mob in Dhule district in north Maharashtra on suspicion of being "child lifters" earlier this month.

Expressing grief over the incident, Ahir said the Centre and the Maharashtra government have taken the incident very seriously.

The delegation told ministers that Nathjogi children are deprived of education despite the Right to Education (RTE) Act in force.

They demanded facilities like housing, land for tilling, healthcare, employment for youths and security.